On the Road to Cynosport: Cassy and Lily

If someone had asked Cassy Crowell about competing at a national level two years ago, she would have said there was no chance. But after a successful 2018 qualifying season competing alongside her 4-year-old border-collie, Lily, Cassy’s doubts have been lifted―and this team is headed to Arizona for their first Cynosport^®!

“I saw agility on television when I was about 15 and fell in love with it, but I didn’t have a dog to compete with at the time,” Cassy said. “When I met my husband, I mentioned to him that I would love to find a local agility trainer and try it out. Little did I know, his mom was longtime friends with agility competitor and trainer, Mary Hunter.” Cassy’s husband surprised her with a birthday gift certificate to start classes, and Mary has been an invaluable resource ever since.

The benefits of training have extended well beyond the field for this team. Born on a cattle ranch an hour from Cassy’s home in Middleton, Idaho, Lily was initially very shy in new surroundings. “After discovering agility, she has blossomed into a very confident dog. She has even taken to greeting the ring crew if given the chance before she runs, which I never could have imagined when we first started training,” Cassy said.

When they’re not training for agility, Cassy works as a network field technician for a local school district. She and Lily also enjoy performing canine freestyle dance routines at assisted living homes with Dancing Dogs of Boise.